8-3 CD 2 Race Already in General Election Mode

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- The 2010 general election contest between Rep. Harry Teague and former Rep. Steve Pearce in the 2nd Congressional District has been at full steam for a month.
Forget about the primaries 10 months from now. It is highly unlikely either man will draw opposition. They're going directly to the general election 16 months away. Rep.
Teague was in office only six months when his next campaign started. Teague was busy during those six months, knowing he had to compile as strong a record as possible. Southern district Republicans weren't about to allow a Democrat to take that seat from them permanently.
On June 26, Teague voted for the climate/energy/cap and trade bill. He had received passes from the House Democratic leadership to vote against other party-sponsored bills but this one was shaping up to be a close one and his vote was needed.
But Harry wasn't left hanging out there. He was allowed to negotiate amendments to the bill helping small oil refineries and electric cooperatives. The final vote on the bill was 219-212.
Those amendments, however, did nothing to stop a GOP charge. The following day, the National Republican Congressional Committee began preparing robocalls and radio ads charging Teague had just voted for a massive national energy tax.
A few days later, Pearce announced his decision to challenge Teague rather than run for governor. The announcement was three weeks earlier than Pearce had promised a decision. In the announcement, Pearce said Teague's vote on the cap and trade bill was the deciding factor.
But the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued a release saying Pearce was not getting into the 2nd Congressional District race because Teague had voted wrong on a bill. He was getting in because of polling data showing he didn't stand a chance running for governor.
The DCCC further charged that Pearce's reckless fiscal leadership helped the nation's economic collapse. His rhetoric about fighting for New Mexico families doesn't match with reality. His record is dripping with the kind of hypocrisy that New Mexicans rejected in the last election.
This all happened during a week's period in late June and early July. Obviously the race to the November 2010 general election is on. Don't expect to see contested primary elections along the way. The big boys have been chosen and the fight is on.
And also note that the national congressional campaign committees of both parties immediately jumped into this battle, indicating they know who the titans are in this battle and they already are prepared to start fighting the battle.
Pearce charges that Teague's vote for the "cap and trade" bill will directly jeopardize our economy, threaten future generations, kill jobs, devastate jobs and cripple the American economy. The bill will hit families with as much as $1,500 in higher energy costs.
Teague counters that the Congressional Budget Office ha estimated the bill will cost families $175 a year - about the cost of a postage stamp a day.
Teague also notes that had he not been a member of the Democratic majority in the House, he would not have been able to add on the two amendments helpful to New Mexico refineries and electric cooperatives and the bill would have passed anyway, without those amendments.
That means, in Teague's reasoning that he's the candidate to support at the voting booth and he's the guy for special interests to work with because being a member of the majority party, he'll continue to be the one in a position to make deals for constituents.
So Teague starts off with the appreciation, and maybe even support, of New Mexico's small refineries and rural electric cooperatives. But he has a huge battle ahead of him. Pearce has many contacts from the three terms he spent in the House. And the southeast New Mexico oil fields are traditionally more comfortable with a Republican.

MON, 8-03-09

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

7-31 revision

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- What candidate would call a press conference to announce his choice of political party? For most candidates, that would be a dull ho-hummer. For Adam Kokesh, it's a major announcement.
In what promises to be an out of the ordinary 3rd Congressional District campaign, Kokesh promises to give us some excitement. He's already a registered Republican, so what's the big deal about deciding he wants to carry the GOP banner?
It's because Kokesh really is more of a Libertarian, in the vein of Texas GOP U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, of Texas, or maybe former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson.
Johnson and Paul both decided that although the Libertarian philosophy is closer to their beliefs, it isn't possible to win running as a Libertarian.
There is a Libertarian Party. It has asked both Johnson and Paul to be its presidential candidate. But, almost by definition, Libertarians are not really party people. They are too independent minded.
So Kokesh is seeking the Republican Party nomination for Congress. Businessman Dan East of Rio Rancho won an upset victory in the GOP primary last year. He is yet to make up his mind on whether to run again.
Many Republicans would prefer to see East run again. Libertarians believe in individual rights for everyone. Republicans and Democrats believe in individual rights for everyone with whom they agree. Otherwise, those rights should be banned.
Kokesh might be hard to beat in a northern district GOP primary. He has been endorsed by Rep. Paul who raised tens of millions for last year's GOP presidential primary. He raised so much, he was having trouble figuring out how to spend it.
His secret was the same as Barack Obama's. Raise small amounts from many people through the Internet. With his first Internet blitz, Kokesh raised $25,000 in one day, mostly from out of state. He's raised another $30,000 since.
Many of those contributions are from out of state, which sometimes draws criticism in a campaign but that's the way Internet solicitations work. Rep. Paul has endorsed Kokesh's candidacy and helped him raise that money so it is sure to have come from throughout the nation.
Other factors that could make Kokesh tough to beat in a GOP primary are that he's an ex-Marine with a tour of duty in Iraq. He's young, energetic and computer savvy. He's fluent in Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and all the other social networking sites.
And he has nothing to distract him from being a candidate. He calls himself a full time activist. He's a good public speaker and does it around the nation for causes he supports. He's also an organizer who has a cadre of volunteers who already are out making signs and placing them around the district.
But there are some things about Kokesh that Republicans won't like. Following his service, Kokesh became active in the Iraqi Veterans Against the War. Before his discharge, he demonstrated wearing part of his uniform, for which he was downgraded from a sergeant to a corporal.
A prominent far left Web site dubbed him "America's Favorite Marine." During the Republican National Convention last summer, Kokesh managed to get on the floor to heckle John McCain during his acceptance speech, for which he was removed.
He opposes the Federal Reserve System, he preaches that the Republican party has forgotten its roots and he wants to put the "Love" back in "Revolution." (Try spelling it backwards.) He thinks the recession is an illusion. And this may attract some Republican votes: he says federal income taxes are totally unnecessary.
Kokesh says his long term vision for America is a paradigm shift that will be more like a revolution. But a peaceful revolution. He says, "My political expression is the ultimate expression of nonviolence and rejection of the aggressive use of force."
Those in my generation have difficulty understanding some of what he says. But he has a following in Generation Y.
FRI, 7-31-09

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

Paragraph relating to out of state money has been revised.

7-31 Excitement in 3rd Congressional District

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- What candidate would call a press conference to announce his choice of political party? For most candidates, that would be a dull ho-hummer. For Adam Kokesh, it's a major announcement.
In what promises to be an out of the ordinary 3rd Congressional District campaign, Kokesh promises to give us some excitement. He's already a registered Republican, so what's the big deal about deciding he wants to carry the GOP banner?
It's because Kokesh really is more of a Libertarian, in the vein of Texas GOP U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, of Texas, or maybe former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson.
Johnson and Paul both decided that although the Libertarian philosophy is closer to their beliefs, it isn't possible to win running as a Libertarian.
There is a Libertarian Party. It has asked both Johnson and Paul to be its presidential candidate. But, almost by definition, Libertarians are not really party people. They are too independent minded.
So Kokesh is seeking the Republican Party nomination for Congress. Businessman Dan East of Rio Rancho won an upset victory in the GOP primary last year. He is yet to make up his mind on whether to run again.
Many Republicans would prefer to see East run again. Libertarians believe in individual rights for everyone. Republicans and Democrats believe in individual rights for everyone with whom they agree. Otherwise, those rights should be banned.
Kokesh might be hard to beat in a northern district GOP primary. He has been endorsed by Rep. Paul who raised tens of millions for last year's GOP presidential primary. He raised so much, he was having trouble figuring out how to spend it.
His secret was the same as Barack Obama's. Raise small amounts from many people through the Internet. With his first Internet blitz, Kokesh raised $25,000 in one day, mostly from out of state. He's raised another $30,000 since.
Democrat Ben Ray Lujan, the current holder of the 3rd District seat has criticized Kokesh for the amount of out of state contributors. But Kokesh counters that Lujan has received some large contributions from a number of out of state interests.
Other factors that could make Kokesh tough to beat in a GOP primary are that he's an ex-Marine with a tour of duty in Iraq. He's young, energetic and computer savvy. He's fluent in Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and all the other social networking sites.
And he has nothing to distract him from being a candidate. He calls himself a full time activist. He's a good public speaker and does it around the nation for causes he supports. He's also an organizer who has a cadre of volunteers who already are out making signs and placing them around the district.
But there are some things about Kokesh that Republicans won't like. Following his service, Kokesh became active in the Iraqi Veterans Against the War. Before his discharge, he demonstrated wearing part of his uniform, for which he was downgraded from a sergeant to a corporal.
A prominent far left Web site dubbed him "America's Favorite Marine." During the Republican National Convention last summer, Kokesh managed to get on the floor to heckle John McCain during his acceptance speech, for which he was removed.
He opposes the Federal Reserve System, he preaches that the Republican party has forgotten its roots and he wants to put the "Love" back in "Revolution." (Try spelling it backwards.) He thinks the recession is an illusion. And this may attract some Republican votes: he says federal income taxes are totally unnecessary.
Kokesh says his long term vision for America is a paradigm shift that will be more like a revolution. But a peaceful revolution. He says, "My political expression is the ultimate expression of nonviolence and rejection of the aggressive use of force."
Those in my generation have difficulty understanding some of what he says. But he has a following in Generation Y.
FRI, 7-31-09

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

7-29 Public Workers Will Fight Another Day

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- As predicted here early this month, the state's public employees were denied a request for a temporary injunction prohibiting public employers from adding an extra 1.5 percent increase in their retirement contributions.
The 2009 Legislature, early this year, decided to cut public employer contributions to employee retirement and add it on to employee contributions. It will save the state around $43 million this year.
The legislative action affects all 57,000 public employees at the state and local levels of government, including education employees in public schools, colleges and universities. Their pay for next year will be 1.5 percent less.
It seemed evident when the hearing on the temporary injunction was postponed from its June 29 setting that the state district court didn't see a need for temporarily stopping the pay cut that would begin on July 1.
The actual hearing on the merits of the case will be scheduled for a later date. Although the public employee unions involved in the suit can point to some constitutional questions the legislation raises, Judge William F. Lang indicated he feels the proper place to resolve the differences is the Legislature.
That's a good indication of how the hearing on the merits of the case is likely to be decided. Public employees have heard that message and are gearing up for some heavy-duty lobbying of lawmakers.
Don't be surprised to see an effort made to get it on the agenda for the possible special session of the Legislature this fall. The session will be necessary if August revenue projections indicate revenues sagging even more than anticipated during last winter's regular legislative session.
It is widely expected that will happen, however at this point legislative leaders are said to be shying away from a special session, possibly because so many special interest groups are applying pressure to put additional items on the agenda.
A monkey wrench thrown into the works following the hearing on the preliminary injunction has been a news release from the Attorney General's office announcing that Judge Lang granted the attorney general's motion to dismiss the case entirely.
During the two days following the attorney general's announcement, I have been in contact with the office seeking a clarification of the statement.
As of the time this is being written, there has been no clarification or retraction of the announcement. I understand that other news sources are now in contact with the attorney general's office so that may get clarified by the time you read this.
The public employees make the point that they are being subjected to discriminatory treatment because employees in the private sector are not subject to the pay deduction. While that is true, no public employee has been subject to a job loss, furlough, wage cut or loss of benefits as have many private sector workers.
That would seem to put public opinion on the side of the lawmakers who decided on the pay cut. But lawmakers are due some embarrassment themselves. They neglected to cut their own retirement contributions by the state and add it on to their contributions. That's an issue that is likely to arise the next time they meet.
As for the public employee cuts, lawmakers said it is the least painful alternative to find another $40 million to balance the state budget. The state employees' union has constantly advocated that twice as much revenue can be gained from making big out-of-state corporations pay their fair share in taxes to the state.
Because New Mexico doesn't require something called "combined reporting," these companies can hide their New Mexico income by reporting it in states that charge a lower corporate tax.
Maybe docking public employees is less painful than disappointing big corporate lobbyists but it shouldn't be. Local businesses are hurt too. Maybe some of the $80 million the state should be getting from the big boys could be used to lower taxes on local businesses.
WED, 7-29-09

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

7-27 We Should Know About the War That Made Us US Citizens

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- I have another book for you to read. This one is a must for every New Mexican. It gives us background about why we are the way we are and how we got there..
The book is "Eagles and Empire" by Roswell's David Clary. It is the story of the Mexican-American War, written for the first time ever, from both sides.
Why are both sides important to New Mexicans? As you should recall, we were on one side at the beginning of the war and the other side at the end . They were fighting over us.
Clary takes us through the reasons for the war from both sides. We see the false assumptions we made about each other and the manufactured excuses for going into war that led both sides blundering down a path that neither side was astute enough to avoid.
Time is spent talking about New Mexicans and their conflicted feelings. When Gen. Kearny and his troops marched into town in 1846, they weren't greeted as liberating heroes.
Their main concern at the time was why did Gov. Armijo not head those troops off at Glorietta Pass. That was what was supposed to happen.
Kearny promised many great things but left soon after to conquer California. Resentment grew in some areas and several months later New Mexicans and Indians rebelled in Taos, killing the Yanquis' first governor.
Clary goes through all the steps and missteps that led our countries to that point. We also learn of the mistakes that caused the war to continue another two years while New Mexicans remained under military occupation.
When a treaty was signed in 1848, both sides knew the hostilities still weren't over. The Norteamericanos still wanted more land. The Gadsden Purchase took care of that seven years later. New Mexico gained enough southern territory to build a railroad to California.
Eagles and Empire also is a story that every American should read. The mistakes and misassumptions that led us into that war have led us into others since.
When reading Clary's work, you will find yourself thinking you've heard it all before, recently. Why don't we ever learn? Why do we think we know our enemy when we are actually so wrong? Why can't we exhaust diplomatic possibilities before we pick up sticks and start fighting?
Why do we think that wars are always going to be short? Why are we always so blind to the hidden costs of war? Wars that linger on, deferred costs and interest on debt are examples. But the biggest cost for which we seem least prepared are the returning veterans whose health and lives have been broken
Support of our brave troops, which is always used to promote more war expenditure and demonize those who don't support more military spending, is forgotten once they get home. It happens in every war, but especially the unpopular ones like the Mexican-American War.
You'll also notice that some aspect s of war have improved. The use of volunteers in those days may have hurt our cause more than helping it. After taking a town we would promise to treat civilians with respect but then the street gangs, criminals, bankrupts and other scum of society would descend on the community and do just the opposite.
The improvements even extended to the officer corps. The West Point graduates were very professional, but many officers all the way up to general often were already politicians looking for glory and not interested in making a president from the opposite party look good.
Eagles and Empire, from Bantam Books, will be in bookstores tomorrow, July 28. It is available from Amazon.com now. I'm sure you will find it a valuable addition to your collection. It fills in many gaps other authors have ignored.
The last of those gaps has to do with the war's aftermath, continuing until today. We don't remember that war as well as the Mexicans. It is still affecting their views toward us.
MON, 7-27-09

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

7-24 Double-Dippers: More Harm than Good?

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Recently an investigative reporter for an Albuquerque TV station revealed that some local city employees had retired and then returned to work, collecting both their paycheck plus their retirement, which almost doubled their take home pay.
The news anchor praised him for such a good job of sleuthing but the reporter didn't tell us anything new, except the names of some people who are taking advantage of the situation.
The practice of public employees returning to work after retirement has been occurring for years. The law was changed to allow retirees to return to work full time mainly on the argument that small towns have trouble finding replacements for many jobs.
And larger public employers have difficulty finding replacements for specialized employees. The argument also can be made that retirees already have proven their worth and don't have to be trained. They are the best people for the job.
But there are drawbacks. Current employees often resent the retirees because they step back into their top jobs and prevent younger workers from moving up. And there are charges of cronyism. Get in good with the boss and you can retire and get hired back.
Current law requires that retirees under the Public Employees Retirement Act wait three months before coming back. Soon after that law was passed, temporary employment agencies discovered a gold mine in contracting with retirees to place them back in their old jobs immediately as outside contract workers.
State lawmakers took a close look at this double-dipping during their session at the first of the year. Significant cuts needed to be made in the state budget and the state's two employee retirement funds had lost 25 percent of their assets during the previous three months.
Lawmakers weren't pleased seeing double dippers draining both their retirement fund and the state budget with paychecks that were almost twice as much as other employees. So they put some serious curbs on returning to work.
It was all a part of the Legislature's everybody's-gotta-feel-some-pain solution. In addition to almost doubling their salary, double-dippers don't have to make a retirement contribution. Their employer does that for them.
Regular employees are being docked 1.5 percent of their employer's retirement contribution but employers are still paying all of double-dippers' contributions. It was just too good a deal. So both houses of the Legislature sent a bill to the governor to cut back the goodies.
But Gov. Bill Richardson vetoed it -- on the advice of Attorney General Gary King. It was a surprising development. Richardson said he wanted to keep the best employees, while others said he and King had submitted to cronies who didn't want to fall off the gravy train.
Gov. Richardson says he knows there is a problem and that he will appoint a committee to study the situation. We haven't heard much about what is happening on that promise. A special session of the Legislature looms as a distinct possibility in the next few months.
Many lawmakers and state employees would like to see a solution hammered out then. And while they're at it, there's a little something else lawmakers should look at during the special session.
While all public employees (state workers, teachers, cops, judges, etc.) are being hit with a 1.5 percent increase in their retirement contribution that the employer previously had paid, it didn't occur to lawmakers that they also should share some pain.
They contribute $500 a year to a retirement system. There are 112 lawmakers, so that comes to $56,000 a year. The taxpayers' share is around $560,000, quite generous in comparison.
If lawmakers were to share the pain, they would each have to pay an extra $7.50 a year for a total of $840, which would be subtracted from the taxpayers' $560,000 contribution.
It's not much, mainly symbolic. But how could they forget to include themselves? Thom Cole, of the Albuquerque Journal, reports lawmakers even talked of increasing their own benefits this year.
FRI, 7-24-09

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

7-22 revised - Two Women, No Men Vie for Gov.

Changes in first two graphs reflect Zanetti's withdrawal.

7-22 2 Women, 1 Man Now in Gov. Race

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- The Republican gubernatorial field added another candidate last Friday. Crusading District Attorney Susana Martinez announced her candidacy. There will be no exploratory committee. She's ready to go.
Martinez has been elected four times in big Dona Ana County, which is becoming increasingly Democratic. But she has shown a capacity for attracting a large crossover vote.
She will have to do the same thing statewide in order to win a general election. And she could do just that in the heavily Democratic north. But first she has to win the Republican primary, which won't be easy.
Conservative Steve Pearce beat moderate Heather Wilson last year in the GOP senatorial primary. There are at least two Republicans already in the race, who are expected to be to the right of Martinez, a former Democrat.
Martinez doesn't have much name recognition outside her county, although she has tried some high-profile, change-of-venue cases in Albuquerque where she received media attention during the trials.
GOP leaders will remember Martinez from the days when then-state party chairman John Dendahl was urging her to run for attorney general. That's when she came to my attention.
Martinez ducked Dendahl's encouragement back then but now says she has wanted to run for a statewide office for some time. She is the first Republican from outside Albuquerque to express interest in the state's top job.
But running from Las Cruces isn't a big disadvantage. In my 60 years of political watching, three governors have won election from Las Cruces.
In 1950 Dona Ana County District Attorney Ed Mechem broke 20 years of Democratic domination by winning the first of four two-year terms. He did it promising to clean up corruption in Santa Fe. That appears to be Martinez's ticket to Santa Fe also.
In 1974, Democrat state Sen. Jerry Apodaca became the first Hispanic to win the governor's office in 54 years. As a Senate leader, Apodaca had managed to gain some exposure and contacts statewide.
In 1986, former state GOP Chairman Garrey Carruthers won election despite having worked in Washington, in the Reagan administration, for several years. Now a dean at New Mexico State University, Carruthers says Martinez is better known at this point than either he or Republican Gov. Gary Johnson were.
Carruthers says Martinez is held in extremely high regard in Las Cruces. She's a hard charging crime fighter at a time that is needed. But she also receives charges that some of her investigations are politically motivated.
She has detractors too. I have received numerous contacts from the Las Cruces area claiming she ignores complaints of police brutality and always takes the side of law enforcement officers.
Despite no women ever having run for governor in New Mexico, Martinez is the second woman to get in the gubernatorial race. Democrat Lt. Gov. Diane Denish announced her intentions very soon after she was reelected in 2006.
In addition, two more Republican women are looking seriously at the race. State Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, of Albuquerque, has formed an exploratory committee and former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson is keeping republicans on the edge of their seats waiting to see what she decides.
When former U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce decided to take a shot at winning his former 2nd Congressional District seat back, many thought that might entice Wilson into the race.
Would the possibility of having three women in the race dissuade her? Not likely. Wilson will be the early favorite in the race if she does decide to get in.
For Martinez to get on the ballot, she must receive at least 20 percent of the vote at the state GOP nominating convention next March. The Dona Ana vote will get her quite a way. And there will be others who will feel a female Hispanic will help broaden the party.
WED, 7-22-09

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

7-20 Athletes Put NM on Map

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- Ah, the memories. In what Gov. Bill Richardson called "One of the biggest sports announcements in the history of the state," we learned that the U.S.A. Track & Field Indoor Championships will be held in Albuquerque the next three years.
The last time they were held in Albuquerque was in 1966. Back then, the Duke City was a major stop on the indoor track circuit. The meets were held at Tingley Coliseum.
Throughout the '60s, the University of New Mexico had one of the nation's best track teams under the coaching of Hugh Hackett. The team featured record holders such as Adolph Plummer, John Baker, Buster Quist and Clarence Robinson.
Lobo outdoor track meets drew 10,000 fans, many times larger than Lobo basketball games until the arrival of coach Bob King in the early '60s. The track program produced many All-Americans, NCAA champions, Olympians and at least one world record holder.
Track meets were fun to watch and they still are. There is always a track event and two or three field events going at the same time. ESPN will televise the meet live Feb. 25-26, 2010.
The president of U.S.A. Indoor Track and Field said at the news conference, "We are glad to be returning. Albuquerque is a cradle of great athletics. Indoor track used to receive a lot of glory here."
Congratulations to the New Mexico Sports Authority and the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau for putting New Mexico back on the map of track and field.
* * *
While we're on the subject, let's take a look at others in the world of sports who are helping humanity realize there is something other than a black hole between Texas and Arizona.
Mine That Bird, surprise winner of the Kentucky Derby and in the money at the Preakness and Belmont is taking a well-deserved rest after the grueling Triple Crown of horse racing. Only one other horse lasted for all three races.
Trainer Chip Woolley has been working him out at Churchill Downs, site of his great victory. He will enter three more major races this year and maybe four. New Mexico jockey Mike Smith of Roswell will be on him for at least the next two races.
Actually Mine That Bird has not spent much of his three years in New Mexico. He was bred in Kentucky, raced as a two-year-old in Canada, then came to New Mexico for two races at Sunland Park.
But he will be known as a New Mexican as long as Roswell owners Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard Blach keep him. They and Woolley will always be known as the cowboys from New Mexico that set the Derby crowd on its ear.
And it doesn't hurt that Woolley is the epitome of a cowboy and not the Kentucky gentleman folks are accustomed to back there.
* * *
Albuquerque's Notah Begay III is making news for getting golfer Tiger Woods into his four-man NB3 Foundation Challenge. They will play a skins game with two other big names, on Aug. 24, at the Oneida Nation Golf Course, near Verona, NY.
Begay and Woods were teammates and roommates while leading Stanford to NCAA championships. Begay was a three-time All American. Early in his professional career he shot a 59 on the 1998 Nike Tour.
That got him on the PGA Tour the following year. He had two tour wins in both 1999 and 2000 and appeared headed for stardom but a bad back from weightlifting has hindered him ever since.
In 2005, Begay established his nonprofit foundation to provide health and wellness education to Native American youth in the form of soccer and golf programs.
The only full-blooded Native American ever on the PGA Tour, Begay is concerned about the disproportionate incidence of obesity and diabetes among Native American youth. His programs have been implemented in New Mexico and in tribal communities across the country.
MON, 7-20-09

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

7-17 revised

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- The big political races have heated up. State GOP chairman Harvey Yates, of Artesia, has leveled the heavy artillery at Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and former Rep. Steve Pearce has announced he will take on Rep. Harry Teague for his old congressional seat.
In the gubernatorial contest, Yates decided it is time to get serious and not wait for the traditional Labor Day starting date. He led off with a salvo charging that Denish is unfit to be governor because she lacks the courage to speak vigorously against corruption.
Actually all good citizens are against corruption. It is the party not in power that speaks vigorously against it, usually without citing what they would do change other than being ethical themselves and appointing ethical subordinates.
Up to the time of Yates' barrage, Denish had not announced a platform of ethics measures designed to clean up government but she had championed several ethics measures during previous legislative sessions.
So Denish wrapped those measures into a package and shot them back at Yates along with a scathing attack from her campaign chairman, Ted Martinez, along with a strong denial that she has been a part of any misconduct.
Yates countered that it is unbelievable to suggest that Denish has been unaware of the corruption in state government. The implication is that Denish is bound to have known about some of the pay-to-play arrangements about which Gov. Bill Richardson is accused.
But it is possible. Richardson and Denish worked closely during the early days of their administration. But before long that reverted back to the much more common relationship between a governor and lieutenant governor.
Former Gov. Gary Johnson and Lt. Gov. Walter Bradley communicated very seldom. Bradley pointed out to me once that a locked door separated his suite of offices from the governor's.
Bradley didn't have a key to that door so he had to walk all the way around the Capitol hallway to enter Johnson's reception area and ask to see the governor.
The situation was even worse during the administrations of Gov. Bruce King. Both of his lieutenant governors, Roberto Mondragon and Casey Luna, ended up running against King for governor.
Yates has now returned fire with a TV ad trying to tie Denish directly to pay-to-play scandals. And the race is on.
It should be noted that the first candidate for statewide office to release an ethics reform plan was Santa Fe Sheriff Greg Solano who was the first candidate in the race for lieutenant governor. Solano is a Democrat.
Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, of Belen, has announced he has formed an exploratory committee to evaluate whether he should make a run for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
My guess is that the committee will come back with a recommendation that Sanchez not run. Sanchez has been the major roadblock to passage of ethics legislation With Republicans making government corruption the cornerstone of their gubernatorial campaign, Sanchez would have problems defending himself.
Steve Pearce's decision to get into the 2nd Congressional District race was not unexpected. He did it earlier than the previously announced July 20-27 timetable, likely because he saw an opening for himself with Rep. Teague's vote on the climate bill.
With Pearce out of the gubernatorial race, former Rep. Heather Wilson looms as the only well known candidate. She has recent experience as a statewide candidate and should have much of her statewide organization from last year still intact.
Wilson has remained busy since ending her congressional term in January. If she decides she likes hopping around the world consulting on all sorts of matters, she can stay busy at that.
But if she decides she wants to make a run at governor, it is quite possible state GOP officials may want to try clearing the primary election field for her as they succeeded in doing last year for Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White in the 1st Congressional District.
FRI, 7-17-09

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

News is breaking fast. Attached is revised 7-17 reflecting GOP ads that began yesterday. (New graph about half way through) You might want to consider running this ahead of the 7-15 column I sent last week.

7-17 Political Contests Heating Up

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- The big political races have heated up. State GOP chairman Harvey Yates, of Artesia, has leveled the heavy artillery at Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and former Rep. Steve Pearce has announced he will take on Rep. Harry Teague for his old congressional seat.
In the gubernatorial contest, Yates decided it is time to get serious and not wait for the traditional Labor Day starting date. He led off with a salvo charging that Denish is unfit to be governor because she lacks the courage to speak vigorously against corruption.
Actually all good citizens are against corruption. It is the party not in power that speaks vigorously against it, usually without citing what they would do change other than being ethical themselves and appointing ethical subordinates.
Up to the time of Yates' barrage, Denish had not announced a platform of ethics measures designed to clean up government but she had championed several ethics measures during previous legislative sessions.
So Denish wrapped those measures into a package and shot them back at Yates along with a scathing attack from her campaign chairman, Ted Martinez, along with a strong denial that she has been a part of any misconduct. .
Yates countered that it is unbelievable to suggest that Denish has been unaware of the corruption in state government. The implication is that Denish is bound to have known about some of the pay-to-play arrangements about which Gov. Bill Richardson is accused.
But it is possible. Richardson and Denish worked closely during the early days of their administration. But before long that reverted back to the much more common relationship between a governor and lieutenant governor.
Former Gov. Gary Johnson and Lt. Gov. Walter Bradley communicated very seldom. Bradley pointed out to me once that a locked door separated his suite of offices from the governor's.
Bradley didn't have a key to that door so he had to walk all the way around the Capitol hallway to enter Johnson's reception area and ask to see the governor.
The situation was even worse during the administrations of Gov. Bruce King. Both of his lieutenant governors, Roberto Mondragon and Casey Luna, ended up running against King for governor.
It should be noted that the first candidate for statewide office to release an ethics reform plan was Santa Fe Sheriff Greg Solano who was the first candidate in the race for lieutenant governor. Solano is a Democrat.
Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, of Belen, has announced he has formed an exploratory committee to evaluate whether he should make a run for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
My guess is that the committee will come back with a recommendation that Sanchez not run. Sanchez has been the major roadblock to passage of ethics legislation With Republicans making government corruption the cornerstone of their gubernatorial campaign, Sanchez would have problems defending himself.
Steve Pearce's decision to get into the 2nd Congressional District race was not unexpected. He did it earlier than the previously announced July 20-27 timetable, likely because he saw an opening for himself with Rep. Teague's vote on the climate bill.
With Pearce out of the gubernatorial race, former Rep. Heather Wilson looms as the only well known candidate. She has recent experience as a statewide candidate and should have much of her statewide organization from last year still intact.
Wilson has remained busy since ending her congressional term in January. If she decides she likes hopping around the world consulting on all sorts of matters, she can stay busy at that.
But if she decides she wants to make a run at governor, it is quite possible state GOP officials may want to try clearing the primary election field for her as they succeeded in doing last year for Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White in the 1st Congressional District.
FRI, 7-17-09

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

surgery

I'm going in for some back surgery this morning. It's only supposed to be an overnight stay so I may be back with you with no columns missed. If it is necessary to miss some, I'll have someone notify you by email.

7-15 Exhaustive Nuclear Study Released

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- The 10-year study of chemical and radioactive releases from the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Trinity test has been completed.
A draft of the final report is available at www.LAHDRA.org. Click on "publications." The bulk of the report is on releases from the lab and the health effects on workers and the surrounding community.
But 46 pages of the draft are devoted to the plutonium bomb explosion at Trinity Site and the health effects on "downwinders." Those are folks who were in the vicinity of the site, located between San Antonio and Carrizozo, NM. From there, the cloud spread primarily to the north-northeast, extending into Colorado.
If you were in the area on July 16, 1945 or the weeks that followed, you may have received a dose of the nuclear fallout, especially if you drank milk from animals that grazed in the area.
The central part of the radioactive cloud extended past Las Vegas and through Raton. The rest of the cloud reached out to Socorro and Roswell, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos. Los Alamos was spared but those folks have been subjected to releases from the lab for 66 years.
In 1999, the lab contracted with the Centers for Disease Control to find historical records pertaining to chemical and radioactive releases. The multi-million dollar project was called the Los Alamos Historical Document Retrieval and Assessment.
The painstaking research combed through all available documents produced by the lab since 1943. Some documents never were found because of being illegible, lost or destroyed. Those with knowledge that would help the records search also have been interviewed but many of those are long since deceased.
It was hoped the findings would yield sufficient information for the reconstruction of detailed radioactive doses but only for the most significant releases may that be possible.
Many have called for an extension of the project to take a closer look at some of the findings. But budget constraints prevent any further study.
Project leaders have named a panel of experts to participate in a final review of the draft. That review will decide what future steps are taken and what specific issues, if any, are examined more closely.
Lab managers are reviewing the draft final report and will submit a technical response during the 30-day comment period. They also will request an independent peer review by the National Academy of Sciences.
Many New Mexico downwinders are hoping this document search will uncover more information about what happened back in '45. Some have had health problems they suspect may be related.
Long term health problems were not a priority for the project staff at the time. Secrecy and safety of the staff were of prime importance. Few measurements were taken immediately and those didn't receive much analysis.
Measurements taken east of the town of Bingham in Hoot Owl Canyon reached levels of 10,000 time higher than the Nuclear Regulatory Commission allowed in a public area. It is now called Hot Canyon.
A few years later, numerous detailed dose reconstructions were made for people who lived downwind from the Nevada Test Site. In 1990, Sen. Orrin Hatch, of Utah, secured legislation creating the Radiation Exposure and Compensation Act. It applied only to victims in parts of Utah, Arizona and Nevada.
My contacts reveal there is sufficient evidence to consider adding downwinders of the Trinity test to this act. Various individuals and groups are taking a close look at the results of this search of millions of records to see what they might reveal for New Mexico downwinders and to secure some compensation for resulting health problems.
If you are a downwinder, contacting New Mexico's U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall to encourage them to carefully analyze the assessment and seeking victim compensation would be one appropriate avenue.
WED, 7-15-09

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

7-13 Do You Know Where Your Gov. Is?

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- In response to South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's mysterious, five-day disappearance, the Associated Press polled all state governors' offices to determine the accessibility of other governors.
Sometimes the AP reporters were put through to talk with governors directly. Sometimes governors were out of the office but the staff knew where they were. And in the case of Gov. Bill Richardson, the governor was in but wouldn't talk with them.
A New Mexico reporter got suspicious the following day when he noticed Lt. Gov. Diane Denish had police protection indicating she was serving as acting governor.
A check with the governor's office discovered Richardson was at an undisclosed location on personal business. Information also was volunteered that the following week, the governor would be out of town with his wife, Barbara, in Cape Cod.
It turns out some members of the Capitol press knew that already because they had a copy of the governor's schedule for the following week. Others of us haven't received any communications for awhile.
During Gov. Richardson's first term, all of us, and maybe many others also, received e-mail weekly schedules that were nicely detailed. But soon after his reelection, those schedules stopped as the governor hit the campaign trail, first for himself and then for Sen. Obama.
Since the governor's schedule was dependent on so many outside factors, that seemed somewhat understandable. But that hasn't improved now that he's back to being our full time governor.
Even if it is a little harder to find him these days, Gov. Richardson's staff assures us they always know the governor's whereabouts and can always get in contact with him.
In the past few days, a television commentator reported that the words "He's hiking the Applachian Trail" have entered the lexicon of pop culture as meaning "He's unexplainably absent."
* * *
So often New Mexico has trouble getting its less-than-a-million votes counted. We can't take any solace in the eight-month Minnesota senatorial recount because the vote was a virtual tie and the procedures for considering disputed ballots were very specific, unlike the Florida presidential fiasco of 2000.
But it appears we all can take a lesson from Iran, which was able to count 40 million paper ballots, by hand, in only two hours. Do you suppose the ayatollahs would hire our as consultants?
* * *
In this business, I end up on all sorts of political e-mail distribution lists, ranging from far left to far right. Human Events, a publication with a hard right slant, recently sent me an e-mail titled "How to Reign In the Radical Left." The body of the e-mail advertised that subscribing to their publication was a great way to tick off a liberal.
I imagine liberals might be ticked off at conservatives reigning in the radical left. Do you suppose they meant "rein in?" I know some liberals who would like to rein in the radical left too.
* * *
The tea parties scheduled for July 4 to protest that Americans are taxed enough already fell short of estimates made by organizers. According to information on the Internet, the April 15 Tax Day rallies were held in 21 locations around New Mexico and 2,000 spots around the nation.
The organization of the July 4 gatherings didn't seem to be nearly as effective. The Republican Party stayed out of it this time. Fox News didn't do the promotion it had done in April. Albuquerque and Farmington were the only New Mexico cities I saw doing any promotion.
In many cases politicians were not allowed to speak this time mainly because many of them caused problems with their comments on April 15. There have been no claims on the Internet about huge turnouts.
Could it be that on July 4th people are in a mood to celebrate rather than protest?
MON, 7-13-09

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

7-10 Reflecting on July 4, 2009 Tributes

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- I always enjoy all the July 4th tributes in the newspapers at this time every year. My favorite this year was one by Colin Powell, whom I wish would have been on the ballot the last three presidential elections.
He said the older he gets, the more he appreciates the Declaration of Independence. He said his favorite sentence is "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
This wasn't the reality of 1776. It was merely a dream, an experiment. No other nation in the world had ever achieved such a thing. Powell says he finds new meaning in the sentence every time he reads it.
Marc Simmons had an interesting column on New Mexico's first July 4th celebrations. Just as we and El Pasoans claim the first Thanksgiving celebration in 1598, well before Jamestown and Plymouth, we also can claim July 4th celebrations before New Mexico became a territory of the United States.
Simmons says in 1825, American traders in Taos put on a showy parade around town. The claim was made that Taosenos were delighted and shouted "Viva la Republica." Simmons wonders if maybe they were cheering the Republic of Mexico instead.
It sounds logical to me. The Americans didn't have a flag so they made one with our eagle on it. Since the Mexican symbol also is an eagle, Taosenos may have been glad to see the Americans adapting to local ways so quickly.
It would be over 20 years before the Norteamericanos would come marching in to take over. And when they did, Taosenos were the first to rebel, killing and scalping our first governor.
Every so often, someone comes up with the suggestion that the nation should change its national anthem. The current one spans nearly two octaves while most people are good for only one. The words are about bombs, war and bloodshed, not American values. And the melody is an old English drinking song.
Columnist Michael Kinsley took the occasion of the Fourth to suggest some alternate anthems. His first suggestion was "America," which he suggested should be called "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" because America doesn't appear anywhere in the words.
If using the tune to an old English drinking song is bad, how much worse is using the melody to "God Save the King/Queen" -- as in King George, from whom we were trying to wrest our freedom?
Most of us now are proud of our country's English heritage but one would hope we could be more original. Besides, the lyrics are a little weak for a national anthem. I'm not sure about words like 'tis and sweet.
Irving Berlin came up with some nice words and music for "God Bless America." Kate Smith practically made it a national anthem, belting it out before hockey games. Major League Baseball often uses it during the seventh inning stretch. Some would object to God being in there. But every president uses the phrase to say, "My speech is over."
Two Americans collaborated on the words and music to "America the Beautiful." The tune is lovely and the words to the many verses are exceedingly appropriate.
My favorite of the alternatives is "Battle Hymn of the Republic." It's a bit martial and religious but particularly inspiring. It appears in church hymnals I have seen but since "one nation, under God" passes muster, this should too.
The problem is that it was a Union marching song during the Civil War and might not be too popular in some parts of the South as soon as the word got around.
"Proud to Be an American," also called "God Bless the USA," would be extremely popular with those shunning the "Battle Hymn of the Republic." But it would upset many others.
My preference is to keep what we have. As an instrumental or sung by a trained voice, I think it's great. During medal ceremonies at the Olympics, it is the most stirring anthem of any country.
FRI, 7-10-09

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

7-8 Tacos correction

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- The Pentagon plans to shut down the proud New Mexico Air National Guard. The fighter pilots of the Air Guard have served the nation honorably in wars since the 1950s.
But as methods of warfare have changed, fighter planes are no longer needed to the extent they once were. Air-to-air combat is nearly a thing of the past as our enemies have little or no air forces. Air support for troop movements still is needed but not to the extent it once was.
So the "Tacos" are scheduled to lose their 21 aging F-16 Fighting Falcons next year in a Pentagon early retirement program. The next-generation F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighters won't be available to guard units until seven years later.
Meanwhile, the unit must have a mission or it will be shut down completely. That means about 1,100 jobs located at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque. The fighter wing currently pumps about $25 million in to the local economy.
Other missions are available such as C130 cargo planes, CV 22 helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, intelligence, cyber warfare and teaching the Iraqi Air Force to fly turboprop Beechcrafts. The Air Force is said to desperately need Guard units to take those missions.
But the current crop of jet jockeys wants fighter planes or nothing, according to inside sources of blogger Joe Monahan. It's believable. Fighter pilots are a special breed as anyone who has watched movies like "Top Gun" would know.
Stepping down is hard to take. But it almost certainly has to happen if the Tacos are to have any chance of surviving. Rep. Martin Heinrich is leading the effort to find the Tacos a new mission. Kirtland is in Heinrich's congressional district and he fortunately serves on the House Armed Services Committee.
Heinrich's strategy is to keep some kind of flying mission -- not necessarily fighters -- so they can stay intact until new fighter aircraft become available.
That doesn't please the pilots but time is getting short. The Air Force's plan has been known for some time. It was a crucial blunder not to get this taken care of when powerful Sen. Pete Domenici was still in the Senate. But the pilots run the organization and they wanted nothing but fighter planes.
Heinrich recently has succeeded in adding a provision to the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act prohibiting the retirement of the Taco's F-16s until the Air Force submits a detailed plan that includes a follow-up mission for the 150th Fighter Wing.
Heinrich has been able to guide that provision through the House but its likelihood of surviving through the Senate, a conference committee and a presidential veto may be shaky.
And even though Heinrich only inherited the situation, he will be blamed if the Tacos crumble.
I was in the New Mexico Air Guard in the early '60s. Back then we were called the Enchilada Air Force. As I recall we got the name when we used to go to Volk Fiend at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, for a two week summer camp every summer.
We made ourselves quite popular with the locals throughout the area. Our cooks would fix enchiladas for our hosts and several times Al Hurricane, Tiny Morrie, Baby Gaby and some of the other Night Rockers in our unit would play at barn dances in the area. They were huge hits.
Joe Monahan related in his blog recently that our nickname changed when our unit was activated in 1968, during the Viet Nam War. The air traffic controllers over there found the "Enchilada" call sign too long and hard to pronounce so our guys changed it to "Taco."
Thanks, Joe. That answers a question I've had for over 40 years. My wife and I moved from Albuquerque to Santa Fe in 1965 and I lost all contact with Air Guard members. I'd never been able to figure how or why enchiladas changed to tacos.
WED, 7-08-09

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

Reader Daniel Ivey-Soto caught my misstatement about a presidential line-item veto, which, of course, they've been unsuccessfully trying to get for years until I just gave it to them. Serves me right for working on July 4 weekend.

 

Corrected copy attached.

7-8 "Tacos" In Trouble

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- The Pentagon plans to shut down the proud New Mexico Air National Guard. The fighter pilots of the Air Guard have served the nation honorably in wars since the 1950s.
But as methods of warfare have changed, fighter planes are no longer needed to the extent they once were. Air-to-air combat is nearly a thing of the past as our enemies have little or no air forces. Air support for troop movements still is needed but not to the extent it once was.
So the "Tacos" are scheduled to lose their 21 aging F-16 Fighting Falcons next year in a Pentagon early retirement program. The next-generation F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighters won't be available to guard units until seven years later.
Meanwhile, the unit must have a mission or it will be shut down completely. That means about 1,100 jobs located at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque. The fighter wing currently pumps about $25 million in to the local economy.
Other missions are available such as C130 cargo planes, CV 22 helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, intelligence, cyber warfare and teaching the Iraqi Air Force to fly turboprop Beechcrafts. The Air Force is said to desperately need Guard units to take those missions.
But the current crop of jet jockeys wants fighter planes or nothing, according to inside sources of blogger Joe Monahan. It's believable. Fighter pilots are a special breed as anyone who has watched movies like "Top Gun" would know.
Stepping down is hard to take. But it almost certainly has to happen if the Tacos are to have any chance of surviving. Rep. Martin Heinrich is leading the effort to find the Tacos a new mission. Kirtland is in Heinrich's congressional district and he fortunately serves on the House Armed Services Committee.
Heinrich's strategy is to keep some kind of flying mission -- not necessarily fighters -- so they can stay intact until new fighter aircraft become available.
That doesn't please the pilots but time is getting short. The Air Force's plan has been known for some time. It was a crucial blunder not to get this taken care of when powerful Sen. Pete Domenici was still in the Senate. But the pilots run the organization and they wanted nothing but fighter planes.
Heinrich recently has succeeded in adding a provision to the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act prohibiting the retirement of the Taco's F-16s until the Air Force submits a detailed plan that includes a follow-up mission for the 150th Fighter Wing.
Heinrich has been able to guide that provision through the House but its likelihood of surviving through the Senate, a conference committee and a presidential line-item veto may be shaky.
And even though Heinrich only inherited the situation, he will be blamed if the Tacos crumble.
I was in the New Mexico Air Guard in the early '60s. Back then we were called the Enchilada Air Force. As I recall we got the name when we used to go to Volk Fiend at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, for a two week summer camp every summer.
We made ourselves quite popular with the locals throughout the area. Our cooks would fix enchiladas for our hosts and several times Al Hurricane, Tiny Morrie, Baby Gaby and some of the other Night Rockers in our unit would play at barn dances in the area. They were huge hits.
Joe Monahan related in his blog recently that our nickname changed when our unit was activated in 1968, during the Viet Nam War. The air traffic controllers over there found the "Enchilada" call sign too long and hard to pronounce so our guys changed it to "Taco."
Thanks, Joe. That answers a question I've had for over 40 years. My wife and I moved from Albuquerque to Santa Fe in 1965 and I lost all contact with Air Guard members. I'd never been able to figure how or why enchiladas changed to tacos.
WED, 7-08-09

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

7-6 Lawmakers and Public Employees Tussle

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- The 1.5 percent cut in public employee take home pay isn't sitting well with many of those affected.
In this year's regular session of the Legislature, a bill was passed and signed to reduce the government's contribution to public employee retirement systems and transfer that to employees.
One retirement system covers all state and local employees and another covers employees of public schools, colleges and universities. Unions representing a large portion of employees in both those systems have filed suit to block that transfer.
The first pay day of this fiscal year already has passed for employees of the state with no action by the state district court to enjoin the state from making the transfer. That would require a preliminary injunction until the case can be heard.
It is likely the court will want to carefully consider arguments in the case before it even makes a temporary decision. The case seems complicated, involving many public bodies and constitutional issues.
The unions allege the state is constitutionally prohibited from using funds for any purpose other than for what the retirement law designates, such as the purpose of budget balancing.
Among other constitutional violations, the unions claim the pay assessment against public employees is unequal treatment since private sector employees are not affected.
In case the court action doesn't work, the American Federation of Teachers-New Mexico has started a petition drive in Albuquerque and several other communities aimed at influencing Gov. Bill Richardson and lawmakers to overturn the transfer.
Legislative Finance Committee Chairman Lucky Varela and Vice Chairman John Arthur Smith issued statements saying they regret the court action because they thought they were doing public employees a favor by not instituting furloughs, layoffs or reductions in force. They said those were the only alternatives to the 1.5 percent cut in take home pay.
Union representatives said they suggested many other money saving measures to the governor and 2009 Legislature but they all fell on deaf ears.
Among the sources of money to balance the state budget was elimination or serious restriction of double-dippers, who return to work after retirement and collect full pay plus retirement pension and don't have to continue contributing to the retirement fund.
That was estimated to save the state $5 million a year plus give a boost to the retirement fund. The Legislature passed such a bill but Gov. Richardson vetoed it.
Another suggestion was to drastically cut the number of governor-appointed staff which has inflated the cost of senior management in state government.
By far, the biggest savings suggested was to institute a concept known as combined reporting, in which large interstate corporations are prevented from hiding their New Mexico profits in other states that charge lower corporate taxes.
The New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department is reported to estimate that this would generate $70 million more per year during a slump and more like $100 million once the economy rebounds. The state picks up $40 million a year from the 1.5 percent assessment on public employees.
Needless to say, the big companies use an army of accountants, lawyers and lobbyists to retain their advantageous position at the expense of locally-owned businesses.
A special legislative session is anticipated sometime this fall when the effect of stimulus money can better be judged. Some of the private sector unions say they will be lobbying for their brothers and sisters in the public sector on this issue.
But prospects don't look very bright. Legislative finance leaders seem determined to make public employees feel the pain of the economy too -- beyond no pay hikes for nearly all..
At least one of the two retirement boards already advised the Legislature last January that the cut in government contributions would violate the state constitution. But lawmakers proceeded anyway. Look for a lively special session.
MON, 7-06-09

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com